


A smile only a mother could love (Jeff the killer rewrite)

by WickedCinnamonRoll



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bullying, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Study, Disfigurement, Disturbing Themes, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Mental Anguish, Mental Health Issues, Stabbing, fuck u im spelling his bro's name as "Lou", it only makes sense, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2020-03-14 18:01:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18953152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedCinnamonRoll/pseuds/WickedCinnamonRoll
Summary: Jeffrey Woods has been called a lot of things in his life as a killer and his name and face can only be associated with the most bloodiest and gruesome of murders. Yet, would you believe me if I told you that his tragic story started long before he shed his first blood? People don't just start killing with no reason and Jeff had his.I used to love the original Jeff the killer story but I've more than accepted that the og was trash and badly written. Now I don't wanna toot my own horn or anything bUT...I wanted to see if I could write it better (also don't @ me about my three other wips okay I got this)





	1. Chapter 1

  “I’m going to ask again: Take it from the top and do so slowly.”

  It could’ve been the millionth time officer Owen handed out that request in the last hour alone, yet each time he asked, it got him nowhere. Every time he asked, he hoped it would be the one to break who he was interrogating.

  A small group of young men were brought into the station at around 2 AM after one of them called in to report a murder they all had witnessed. The victim was apparently their friend. Any murder is no more or less traumatic to witness, but the look in their eyes when they entered showed Owen that this would be a day that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. One of them even threw up as soon as he entered the building, before promptly passing out. Though Owen wanted to believe that they wouldn’t murder their own friend, on accident or on purpose, before calling it in, the amount of blood they had on their clothes and hands were enough to have him suspicious. As a result, a handful of officers were asked to interrogate each man one-on-one to get their side of the story.

  The man Owen was tasked to interrogate Keith, he believed his name was, who sat hunched over the table, hands feverishly going through his hair. His voice was muffled and though he couldn’t hear his words, the tears were hard to ignore.

  “I’m going to need you to sit up so I can better hear-”

  Keith abruptly sat up, eyes clouded with tears and his chest heaving up and down harshly. “My friend was fuckin’ murdered! What the fuck else is there to say?!” His voice bubbled and wobbled just as harshly.

  “You could describe the events leading up to it, as well as if you got a good look at the person who did the killing in the first place. I’m sorry sir, but you can’t just scream bloody murder and expect us to fill in the blanks.”  

  For a moment, it looked as if he were about to throw up too. Instead, he gulped and went back to leaning against the table, head in his hands. Silence hung heavy on the air for an agonizing minute.

  “I just wanna go home.” Owen managed to hear the quiet, quaking voice through his hands.

  Owen put on his best sympathetic tone, which wasn’t all that good, but he stuck with it. “I understand. But, in order for that to happen, you’ll need to tell me what exactly transpired. After that, you’ll be free to go. With assistance from an officer to make sure you make it home safely, of course.”

  Keith took that into consideration as he tried to calm his breathing, still loudly sniffing back tears. After a few more moments of this, he sat up again. Owen could see how bloodshot his eyes looked from all the quite frankly violent crying. He reluctantly met the officer's line of sight. That haunting stare he held never wavered from the moment he entered the station. He took a deep breath and as he did, Owen pressed the record button.


	2. Chapter 2

  “Yo. Earth to Jeff.”

  The teenage boy blinked away any thoughts he might’ve been lost in at the moment to see his brother standing before him. Lou squinted his eye Jeff’s way, lifting up a moving box in the process.

  “You gonna help us out or do you plan on continuing that staring contest you have with the house?”

  Jeff laughed awkwardly. “I guess I’ll put that match on pause for now.” As if just remembering he had it, he looked down at the box he himself was carrying. ‘Dishes’ was written hastily on it in marker. 

  He had full intentions on helping out, however he couldn’t help but admire their change in location. A neat stone path snaked through the lush green lawn up to the door of their brand new house. It looked similar to the ones that neighbored theirs, but it still felt strangely unique. The two story house proudly sat and displayed the countless large windows, its sleek, somewhat more modern design and to give it that traditional touch, a chimney topped it all off. He was used to apartments being this size, yet here they were. A house this big all to themselves. It was a lot to take it to say the least.

  As Jeff started to walk towards the front door, Lou appeared by his side and playfully bumped into him.

  “Hey-!”

  “Oh? Looks like  _ you _ have the dishes.” He bumped into him again. “Better not drop ‘em. Dad would be pissed. Imagine getting grounded on our first day here.”

  “Well thankfully  _ that  _ won’t happen.” Jeff bumped back, not putting in nearly as much effort compared to his brother. “Can you wait to be an asshole  _ after  _ we bring in everything?”

  “Sorry, but no can do.” Once they made it to the small steps leading up to the door, Lou considered tripping up Jeff then and there. He decided otherwise, cringing at the thought of shattering plates. “What you call ‘being an asshole’ is just me being my genuine self.”

  “That explains everything.” Jeff muttered.

  Lou jabbed him in the side with his elbow before pushing open the door.

  As expected, the inside was just as beautiful as the outside, even if there wasn’t any furniture yet and the entrance held mostly boxes and luggage. 

  Jeff carefully placed the box down with the others, while Lou more or less dropped his, thankfully not being followed by the sounds of crashes or clattering. 

  “Thanks, you guys.” They heard their mother sigh. She came in through the front door after them and added another box to the pile. “I know physically moving in is always the worst part, but I appreciate the help.”

  “Of course.” Said Lou. His eyes shifted to a window overlooking the front. “What’s dad doin’?”

  She let out another tired sigh as she looked over her shoulder to where Lou’s gaze was fixated. “On the phone with the moving guys. I guess it’ll be a few more hours until the moving truck with our furniture arrives.”

  As Lou and their mother continued to talk, Jeff started tuning them out, staring at his father through the open door instead of listening in.

  Though a t-shirt and jeans replaced the typical suit he usually saw his father wearing, the attitude of a busy businessman never wavered from his spirit. He wore a stern, serious expression as if on the phone with an important client instead of those from a moving company and though Jeff couldn’t hear him, he could bet his tone was just as businesslike. Sometimes Jeff would forget he was even his father with how professional he acted, even around his own family. But Jeff supposed he couldn’t complain too much. After all, it was that serious and disciplined personality that got them this new house in the first place. One well executed phone call with an especially big client lead to an impressive raise, as well as a relocation where his practices could be better utilized.

  Jeff sighed, holding his forehead as he forced himself to turn away. The only reason why he knew all this was because his father sure liked reminding the family how successful he was and what a step up this would be for all of them, mostly him.  

  Jeff would’ve been devastated by the move if it meant he’d be leaving something behind. But that wasn’t the case. While his brother shared meaningful goodbyes and promises of seeing one another with his friends, it couldn’t have been more different with Jeff. The most he did was share a passing comment of moving homes and schools to friendly acquaintances and teachers. As he expected, he didn’t get much of a reaction other than “oh, okay.” He couldn’t be too upset by it. He never really made an attempt at bonding or growing close with any of his classmates and most of the “friends” he had were barely that. He never minded it himself, however, his family didn’t see eye to eye on him with that. 

  The whole drive to this new house, his mother couldn’t help but gush about how it would be a fresh start for all of them, especially Jeff. It seemed like she had it all figured out before Jeff could even think about it himself. She spoke of a possible scenario where her precious boy somehow became one of the most popular kids in school with a sea of wonderful friends, always coming over to hang out with him. Jeff only shut down that fantasy of hers once the idea of a girlfriend was brought up. It all was a lot for Jeff to process. Too much for a single car ride.

  “-Upstairs to pick out your new rooms?” Jeff only tuned back in to catch the tail end of a question from his mother.

  Jeff blinked and fully turned his attention to her. “Huh?”

  She smiled warmly, not at all annoyed at having to repeat herself. “Why don’t the two of you go upstairs and decide which rooms you want.”

  Before Jeff could answer, Lou ran towards the stairs and started to bolt up them. Jeff groaned as he started to go up the stairs after him at a brisk pace, nearly tripping on one of the steps in the process. 

  “The master bedroom is gonna be ours so don’t pick that one!” They both heard their mother call from downstairs, but their feet refused to slow down.

  Once Jeff reached the top of the second floor, Lou was already beginning to inspect the rooms, looking for the best one. He didn’t even care what room he’d end up with, but he couldn’t resist a little friendly competition with Lou.

  “Jackpot” He heard Lou cheer from one of the rooms. 

  Jeff curiously peered inside and since it was empty, it didn’t look like much. It was certainly big, Jeff had to admit that.

  “Yeah, it’s alright.” Jeff hummed.

  Lou chuckled. “You’re only saying that cause you’re mad I’m faster than you  _ and _ get the best man cave in the house.”

  Jeff scoffed and rolled his eyes. “ ‘Man cave’? Since when were you a forty year old virgin watching football and eating cheese puffs in his spare time?”

  Lou turned to face the window. “You laugh now, Jeff, but just you wait. Once I get all my posters, trophies and my guitar in here, you’ll be looking at the coolest hang out place in the neighborhood.”

  “Oh, I think I’ve heard this story before.” Jeff waved his hands out in front of himself, as if to better envision this scenario. “Then, you’ll get tons of friends, always coming in and out of the house just for a chance to talk to the amazing and perfect Lou. The Lou who’s always out partying, yet has perfect grades. The girls want you and the guys want to  _ be  _ you.”

  Lou still faced the window, but Jeff could tell the air around him grew dimmer and glum.

  “Maybe mom  _ was  _ right about that lil’ fantasy of hers.” Jeff continued. “She just had the wrong son in mind.”

  Lou took that as he cue to turn around. His teasing smile replaced with a furrowed brow and sympathetic stare. “Mom also said this was a chance to start over. She doesn’t  _ really  _ expect you to suddenly become super popular with everyone on our first day. She just wants you to have some friends. I...want that for you too.”

  Jeff looked away, uncomfortably crossing his arms as he didn’t know what else to do with them.

  Lou walked over to him, slinging his arm over his shoulder. “Hey, it’s too soon to be acting all emo. At least wait a couple of weeks?”

  Jeff took a chance and looked up at him. He cracked a tiny smile at Lou’s raised eyebrow.

  Though Jeff didn’t say anything, Lou took his smile as the answer he needed. “And hey, how about, now stay with me, we actually  _ hang out  _ at school? Like, am I really that lame that you don’t wanna at least hang out with me?”

  Jeff sighed. “No-”

  “Then there we go!” Lou pulled away from his shoulder, patting Jeff hard on the back in the process. “Just hang with me and I’m sure we’ll make some friends together and don’t worry, I’ll make sure they aren’t lame like me. Only the best for my bro.”

  Jeff let out an annoyed groan, but still couldn’t hold back the small smile.

  Lou gave him another pat, putting on a comically serious face. “Good talk, sport. Now go find your own man cave.”

  “Thanks dad.” Jeff called over his shoulder as he left Lou’s future room to be.

  It was at the end of the hall where Jeff found a place he wouldn’t mind sleeping.

  It was small compared to Lou’s room, sure, but it reminded him a bit of his old room. All it needed was an unkempt bed, a floor covered in dirty clothes and a backpack full of classwork ready to burst and then it would be perfect.

  Instead, Jeff settled for laying out on the bare carpeted floor, staring up at the blank ceiling in silence.

  He watched as the room dimmed then brightened as clouds passed over the sun from outside. He imagined how dark it would get once night fell. 

  How quiet it would be. 

  How still it would be.

  He remembered how much he used to loathe the dark when he was a child. At night, he didn’t even want to sleep alone and would cry out to his mother or big brother to save him from the monsters he would see roaming  just beyond the shadows. There never was anything really there, but it didn’t stop Jeff’s mind from filling up the empty spaces with  _ something _ . Maybe it was a way for him to feel less alone made up by his subconscious. Either way, even as a teenager, he swore he could still sometimes see silhouettes at night in one of the corners or next to his dresser. The only thing that changed was that he no longer questioned their intentions or even gave them a second thought. He more than knew that they weren’t real. Despite his dreary look, his mind was active. Always thinking and never wanting to rest. At least, that’s how his mother described it to him. It made sense to him after that.

  Just as he closed his eyes and further relax, he heard his mother and brother calling for him from downstairs. Any thoughts of shadows and the figures hiding within them washed away as he slowly but surely got up.

  The make believe figures used to be the only thing he was afraid of. However, in the upcoming days, weeks and months, something much more real was waiting for him and those around him.


	3. Chapter 3

  They were just like the shadowy figures that often hidden themselves away in the corners of his room. ****  
** **

  Made up of black smoke, arms long enough for their claws to scrape against the wood floors and the sounds of soft, droning TV static emanated from them. ****  
** **

  The only thing that differed them from the regular shadows were the small glowing dots that resembled eyes floating above their necks. ****  
** **

  He watched, staying still in his bed, unable to move as they crept closer. ****  
** **

  He was of course frightened, yet he made no attempt to fight back the invisible force keeping him down. There was something familiar about them and he considered trying to reach out to them. That’s when he noticed they weren’t  _ really  _ growing closer. The way their legs and shoulders shifted gave the illusion they were moving forward but that wasn’t the case. If anything, it looked like they were growing further and further away and before he knew it, they were gone.  ****  
** **

  The TV static and quiet scraping of their claws was replaced with the eerie tone of the room. ****  
** **

  It was almost deafening how silent it was.  ****  
** **

  He wanted to close his eyes. ****  
** **

  He wanted to fall back into his slumber and not have to worry about dreams or nightmares. ****  
** **

  But before he could attempt to force his eyes shut, coming from right behind his head, he could see fingers slowly creeping into his vision. They were long, white and had claws like the shadows. They moved in so smooth, almost flowing into view. ****  
** **

  They began to cover his eyes. ****  
** **

  The intense fear took over almost instantly. ****  
** **

  He could hear nothing. Not even his own breath or heartbeat. ****  
** **

  See nothing. Not even the fingers. ****  
** **

  He stayed in that state for what felt like forever until- ****  
** **

  “Jeff.”

****

  Gasping, he sat up, sweat dripping down his face. After taking a few moments to compose himself, he saw his brother standing over him, hands drawn back as he wore a look of confusion and concern on his face. ****  
** **

  Jeff always had problems falling asleep, but once he fell, he fell hard. He was such a heavy sleeper, the obnoxious sounds of an alarm wouldn’t be enough to pull him back into reality. He supposed it was a blessing (or curse) he had a brother more than eager to loudly wake him up without an ounce of hesitation.   ****  
** **

  He sat up, wiping his face and groaning. Only then did Lou speak up. ****  
** **

  “You alright?” ****  
** **

  Jeff nodded. ****  
** **

  “Bad dreams?” ****  
** **

  He nodded once more. ****  
** **

  Lou’s arms dropped to his side before awkwardly looking around his brother’s room. Their stuff and furniture have only been at their house for a week or so, yet Jeff has managed the impossible task of making his room a mess already. ****  
** **

  “Mom, uh, made breakfast. So,” He offered a small reassuring smile. “Get dressed and your ass in gear and come downstairs.” ****  
** **

  All Jeff could do was yawn and begin to sit up more. ****  
** **

  “And don’t forget your backpack!” Lou teased before leaving his room. “You do wanna make a good first impression after all, right?” ****  
** **

  As Lou laughed, Jeff groaned some more and waved him further out of the room. ****  
** **

  Once he was sure he was alone, using every fiber of his being, he resisted the urge to collapse back into bed. ****  
** **

  Though Jeff had been spending days mentally preparing for this moment, it’s still something he dreaded. ****  
** **

  Of course, no one ever really looked forward to school, much less their first day at a new one. Jeff promised his mom he’d try to stay optimistic, but he was never one for keeping his promises. Nonetheless, he very slowly began to get to his feet before getting dressed.  ****  
** **

  Though he didn’t get a good look at what Lou was wearing, he could make a few bets. Their parents took both of them shopping for some new clothes and while Lou picked out the nicest jeans, t-shirts and polos, Jeff barely got anything. He walked out of the store with just a few articles of baggy clothes in his arms. He swore he heard his father mutter something under his breath after they left, but no one brought it up. His mother, on the other hand, held no objections to her son’s choices. Sure, she made have made a few passing comments about how nice he would look in some shirts, but ultimately, it was his decision. ****  
** **

  After ripping off his nightshirt and digging through his drawers, he absentmindedly ran a hand up his opposite arm, his nails scraping against the angry red sections of skin that he had refused to let calm down. He winced and only then did he pull away. Eventually, he picked out a sweater and jacket to pull over himself along with a pair of faded jeans. Though the weather was growing warmer in the days, Jeff always preferred layers. The more layers meant it was harder to get to his arms. He just hoped he wouldn’t be too nervous as to turn to his fingers for picking relief. ****  
** **

  As expected, once he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, watching himself tiredly brush his teeth, he could fully see what a mess he was. ****  
** **

  The bags under his eyes were prominent and dark, which were made even more noticeable against his pale skin, looking like he’s never been touched by the sun. Meanwhile, his dark hair messily framed his face in such a way to further highlight his tired expression. He made no attempt to comb it, however he chose to instead brush a portion of it to one side to obscure part of his face. ****  
** **

  He knew how miserable he looked, but would he make any attempt to change that? Probably not.  ****  
** **

  He pictured his mother’s words to him.

****

_   I want you to try to smile at least once today. Find a reason to smile. _

****

  Luckily, he found a loophole. ****  
** **

  Staring at just his lips in the mirror, he saw and felt the corners of his mouth began to rise up. Taking a chance, he even showed a bit of teeth. ****  
** **

  It was a small, shaking, pitiful smile.  ****  
** **

  But it was still a smile. ****  
** **

  Now he wouldn’t have to try.

****

  “Finally!” Lou called from his chair. “The guest of honor is here!” ****  
** **

 Jeff was close to flipping his brother the bird before he noticed his father, surprisingly enough, joining them for breakfast. Instead, he sat down next to his brother and as far away from their father as he possibly could.  ****  
** **

  “We’re not gonna be sitting down for breakfast every day, are we?” Mumbled Jeff, directing the question to no one in particular. ****  
** **

  “Just for the first week at least.” His mother answered. She placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of Lou and a plate of bacon and pancakes in front of Jeff. It was a lot more compared to what Lou had, however his brother didn’t seem bothered by it. ****  
** **

  Jeff stuck a fork into his bacon and began to slowly chew on it. “No way I’m gonna finish all this.” ****  
** **

  “That’s alright.” She handed their father only a cup of coffee. “Just eat what you can.” ****  
** **

  His father said something. Maybe it wasn’t composed of unintelligible muttered words as Jeff’s mind made them out to be, but he couldn’t work up the energy to figure out his actual words. Sometimes this got him into trouble. His dad would ask him a question, Jeff wouldn’t hear, answer or care, so to better get his attention, he’d either get yelled at by him or a swat over the head. ****  
** **

  Jeff thankfully got neither of those things this time and he continued to eat whatever he could of his breakfast. ****  
** **

  Their mother finally sat down with them, her own cup of coffee in hand. “I  _ was  _ going to drive you both to school, but Lou insisted that you two should take the bus.” ****  
** **

  Lou looked over to Jeff, shooting him a quick smile and playfully wiping his brow in relief. ****  
** **

  “I get it,” Their mother continued, chuckling at the not at all subtle gesture from Lou. “No kid wants to be dropped off and embarrassed by their mom on their first day of school.” ****  
** **

  “Or any day of school.” Lou added. “Doesn’t even need to be at school.” ****  
** **

  “If you hate it so much, get your license already.” His mother teased back. ****  
** **

  Lou didn’t have a comeback for that. Instead, he laughed and raised his glass of orange juice. “Touché.” ****  
** **

  The words from his brother and mother did manage to make him feel a bit more at ease. It wasn’t even that he was nervous about going to a new school. It’s just that he didn’t care or want to put in any extra effort. He never strived to be in any honors classes or have the most friends or be elected prom king or any of that nonsense. His goal was to be as under the radar as possible. His grades were beyond average and he was never one to start a fight or get into any especially big trouble and he intended it would stay that way.  ****  
** **

  Though his brother was never the fighting type, Jeff could bet that he was already thinking of all the sports he could join, ways to campaign for his rightful place as prom king and all the possible honors classes he could join. ****  
** **

  He just hoped Lou wouldn’t try to drag him into any of those things. ****  
** **

  Glancing at the clock above one of your windows, Lou began to shovel eggs into his mouth at a quicker rate. “C’mon,” He said in a muffled tone between bites. “Bus shows up at like, 7:20.” ****  
** **

  Jeff blinked and looked down at his only partially eaten food. He must’ve spaced out for a moment there. He followed suit of his brother and took a few more bites of his pancakes before standing up and throwing his backpack over his shoulder. After Lou chugged the rest of his orange juice, he got up and got on his backpack as well. ****  
** **

  “Well, have a great first day, you two!” Their mom said with a bright smile and hopeful tone. ****  
** **

  “Bye mom.” Jeff mumbled, leaning down to kiss her check. ****  
** **

  “Yeah, later mom!” Before Lou could speed on by, their mom lightly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close, as if to tell him one last thing. ****  
** **

  Jeff began to walk towards the door, not even paying any mind to it, until- ****  
** **

  “Make sure Jeff-” ****  
** **

  He couldn’t hear the rest, but he was already out the door by then. ****  
** **

 

  It was only when he reached the end of the steps when Lou came out to join him. He jumped right to the bottom step and bumped shoulders with his brother. ****  
** **

  “Here, I’ll show you where our stop is.” Lou said, taking the lead as they walked down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. ****  
** **

  “You’re awfully peppy this morning, aren’t you?” ****  
** **

  “What can I say?” Lou sighed, stretching his arms behind his back. “It’s the first day of the rest of our lives.” ****  
** **

  “Until dad makes us move again.”  ****  
** **

  “Until dad makes us move again.” Lou nodded, groaning slightly at his tired muscles beginning to wake up. “But hey, let’s try to enjoy it while it-” ****  
** **

  “What did mom say to you?” Jeff said out of the blue, yet still sounding casual.

  Lou didn’t answer at first and Jeff could notice a bit of hesitation in his step. “She, uh,” he stretched once more. “She told me to make sure you eat while we’re at school.” ****  
** **

  Jeff groaned and rolled his eyes. “Jesus-” ****  
** **

  “Listen man,” Lou started, slowing his pace to walk side-by-side with his brother. “We just wanna make you’re alright, y’know?” ****  
** **

  “I  _ am  _ alright.” He insisted. “I just...sometimes forget to eat.” ****  
** **

  “Well that’s what I’m here for.” ****  
** **

  Jeff had to give it to him: His brother  _ was  _ one of the few people who could get him to smile for real. ****  
** **

  “Got your lunch money?” Lou asked. ****  
** **

  “Of course.” ****  
** **

  “Good, but even if you didn’t, I’d gladly bully a kid out of their lunch money for you.” ****  
** **

  Jeff scoffed. “What? And ruin your perfect reputation?” ****  
** **

  “It’s our first day! I don’t even  _ have  _ a reputation! I’m basically a blank slate.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah? I’ll give it a week.” ****  
** **

  “A week until what?” ****  
** **

  “Until you’re captain of the football and baseball team, class president, voted prom king and have five girls in line to be your girlfriend.” ****  
** **

  Lou laughed some more and shoved his shoulder into Jeff’s. “Shut up!” ****  
** **

  After a bit of laughing from both parties, Lou clicked his tongue and pointed to a spot next to a lone light pole. ****  
** **

  “That’s where the bus should show up.” ****  
** **

  Jeff’s smile and laughter tamed at the mention of it. Right...they were going to school. Almost as soon as they slowed to stop, Jeff resisted the urge to crawl a hand up one of his arms to scratch. Instead, he opted to play and tug with the ends of his sleeves as they began to wait. All he could really do was look at all the other houses or the occasional person out for a morning jog. There would’ve been an awkward silence in the air if it weren’t for the birds starting to stir and wake to sing their songs. ****  
** **

  Just when it seemed as if they would be the only kids at the stop, the two of them saw a couple of other boys walking towards them opposite of where they came from. ****  
** **

  Jeff could already hear the three of them laughing up a storm, not even quieting down once they stopped a few feet away from the brothers.  ****  
** **

  They were quite the set of characters. One was thin and tall, taller than the rest of them, one was a bit on the heavier side and the one in the middle was average in both weight and height and the only one with a cigarette between his teeth. But when they drew closer, he put it out with his shoe, glancing at the brothers for the first time. ****  
** **

  He smiled, tilting his head towards them. “New ‘round here?” ****  
** **

  “What gave it away?” Lou chuckled, never scared to start off a conversation. Meanwhile, Jeff stayed deathly quiet. ****  
** **

  One of the other boys shrugged. “Well to start, you look  _ waaaaay  _ too happy and knowing our school? That’s physically impossible.” ****  
** **

  “Well, I’m always one for being different.” ****  
** **

  The middle boy, still smiling, rolled his eyes. “Fuckin’ Christ. Why do I have a feeling you’re gonna be filling out for the role of teacher’s pet in every class?” ****  
** **

  “Because he did that at our last school.” Jeff couldn’t help but mumble. ****  
** **

  He must’ve done a terrible job at keeping himself quiet as the boy walked over to him, laughing, and stood next to him, trying to meet his gaze. Jeff’s eyes shifted away, but this didn’t deter him. ****  
** **

  “Yeah? You two know each other?” ****  
** **

  “We’re brothers.” Lou spoke up ****  
** **

  He looked at Lou then returned his gaze to Jeff. “Could’ve fooled me. Exact opposites, I swear.” ****  
** **

  Jeff wasn’t sure if he should say anything else, but it didn’t matter anyways as the boy continued. ****  
** **

  “I’m Randy.” He said, finally giving a name to his face. He pointed to his friends. “That’s Keith and Troy.” ****  
** **

  The two gave the brothers a half assed wave in response. ****  
** **

  “Well, I’m Lou and that’s-” ****  
** **

  “Hey woah wait.” Randy chuckled. “Let’s hear from the wonder mute himself, huh?” ****  
** **

  Sure, it could’ve come off as rude, but it made Jeff laugh a bit as he shook his head. He gulped before giving him his answer. ****  
** **

  “I’m Jeff.” ****  
** **

  Randy nodded, taking a moment seemingly to better soak in his words and presence. “Well hey, nice to meet you both. If you don’t have anyone to hang with at lunch or after school, maybe try to find and hit us up. We’re always up to showing noobies the ropes.” ****  
** **

  Jeff was more than surprised by the offer, as was Lou. “Really?” ****  
** **

  “Yeah sure why the hell not?” Randy casually expressed. “It’s so boring when people can’t just hang out right off the bat and make friends with ‘em. You two don’t seem like dickheads, so don’t see any reason why we  _ shouldn’t  _ hang.” ****  
** **

  “Randy left out the part where he explains that  _ we’re  _ the dickheads.” Keith snickered. ****  
** **

  He flipped Keith an aggressive middle finger, but still laughed along with him. “Yeah, I mean, he’s not wrong. But at least we’re  _ fun _ dickheads. So, hey, if you don’t want to have a fuckin’ boring time while at school, hang with us. Excitement follows us wherever we go.” ****  
** **

  “Yeah, excitement and vomit.” Quipped Troy. ****  
** **

  The group of boys all had a good laugh at that, even Jeff. ****  
** **

  It wasn’t long after that when they could hear and see the bus start to pull up. ****  
** **

  Randy playfully hit Jeff’s chest with the back of his hand. “Hey Jeffy, wanna sit with me on the way there?” ****  
** **

  Out of instinct, Jeff glanced over his shoulder to Lou, but he was busy talking to Troy and Keith as they climbed onto the bus. He looked back to Randy. ****  
** **

  “Um...sure.” ****  
** **

  It wasn’t long until he was sitting in the back of the bus with Randy, hearing him rant and rave about the latest school gossip that’s been spreading around like wildfire. Though it meant virtually nothing to Jeff, he had to admit it was fun to listen to. A 20-minute ride seemed to be over in about five minutes tops. He found himself smiling and laughing naturally, none of it even slightly forced on his end. ****  
** **

  Even if school is forever bullshit, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad anymore. ****  
** **

  He even entered the building with a smile on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

   Jeff’s first day at his new school was a lot like any other day he had at his old school. That being that it was mostly a blur and very uneventful. The only part of the day that wasn’t being played on fast forward was lunch.

   Usually during lunch, he’d find his own spot off in a corner away from the eyes from others, but this day was different.

   Instead, he sat at a rather loud table with his brother, Randy, Keith and Troy, along with a few of their own friends.

   As expected, Lou and the kids from the bus stop did most of the talking while Jeff focused mostly on his lunch, only speaking when spoken to. It happened quite a lot surprisingly enough and he couldn’t remember the last time he talked that much while in a group. In fact, he found himself talking more to Randy, Keith and Troy rather than to his own brother. They saw themselves as more on the popular side, but Jeff soon found out they had quite a bit in common. It was mundane things like video games and movies, but he took great pleasure in discussing those types of things with someone.

   He told himself at the beginning that he wouldn’t try or care with this new school.

   That lasted.

  
  


   “You skateboard?”

   The question came out of nowhere as Jeff gathered his things from his locker. He shut the door and after placing his notebooks in his backpack, he slugged it over his shoulder. It was the end of the day and though he had insisted on Randy going ahead to the bus without him, he continued to wait for him.

   “I used to, but I don’t really anymore.” He explained. “Still have my old skateboard laying around.”

   “You should skate with us sometimes.” Randy said, cringing and sneering at other students as he tried to push past them through the busy hallway. “There’s this park in the neighborhood that’s great for skating. Y’know, when it’s not crowded with other fuckin’ kids.”

   “I’ll think about it.” Jeff hummed. 

   “Yeah? Well don’t think too hard. You might hurt yourself.” He snorted at his own joke.

   Jeff rolled his eyes, but still lightly chuckled along with him.

   Once they made their way outside the building, Jeff almost immediately saw his brother talking with a small group of girls. Before he could even think about ignoring him, Lou looked over the heads of the girls and after politely saying bye to them all, he ran to catch up with Jeff and Randy.

“Hey guys.” Lou greeted in a peppy tone as he started to walk between Jeff and Randy. He turned to Jeff. “How were your classes?”

   “What? Are you his brother or his mom?” Randy cackled.

   “You’re not wrong.” Jeff snickered along with him. “When we get home, those will probably be the first words out of her mouth.”

   “Here, I’ll tell you first.” Lou didn’t even acknowledge any of the comments between his brother and his new friend. “I’m pretty sure I went to the wrong math class, because the stuff they were going over, I learned all about, like, last year. It was the same thing in my English class! I gotta read the same old boring Shakespeare play we read last year.”

   “Twelfth Night?” Jeff guessed.

   “Nah, I liked that one.” A few kids said hey to Lou as they walked up to the buses and he returned the greetings with a quick wave before continuing. “It’s Macbeth. It’s so hard to follow. I barely got through it last year and now I gotta go through it again.”

   Randy pretended to snore before the brothers could discuss it further. “Please don’t tell me all you guys talk about is fuckin’ nerd shit.” He reached his arm around to playfully punch Jeff’s shoulder. “And to think I was gonna add you fuckers to the crew.”

  “Trust me,” Jeff sighed. “I’m far from a nerd, but I can’t exactly speak for my brother.”

   “Yeah, he’s more than proved himself to be some preppy, ass kissin’ teacher’s pet.”

   “I’m...literally right here guys!” Lou called out, sounded half offended and half amused. 

   “Good. Maybe then you’ll take some pointers and how  _ not  _ to act like a lil’ bitch.”

   Lou scoffed. “Unbelievable.” He jokingly glared Jeff’s way. “I tell you to go out and make friends and  _ this  _ is what happens. I guess be careful what you wish for.”

   “So damn uptight too!” Randy groaned, continuing to shove past students to get to the bus. “You really are a mom, huh? If you’re gonna keep acting like that, we might just take Jeff to all the cool places and leave your sorry ass behind so you can...fuckin’ study or do math problems for fun or whatever.”

   Jeff’s eyes brightened up just when the perfect thing came to mind. “Don’t threaten him with a good time.”

   Randy burst out laughing at that, which only had Jeff feeling even more proud of himself. “Damn dude, you’re funny as hell when you actually talk!”

   It was so simple, but that comment had Jeff feeling all fluttery in his chest and head. He couldn’t remember a time he felt this comfortable with someone besides all the times with his brother. Maybe he was thinking about all this too soon, but from the looks of it, he was going to end the day with a brand new friend.

   An actual friend.

   Lou was about to say something when waiting to get onto the bus, but once Randy and Jeff started to climb on, the former turned to his brother, smiling widely. “I’m gonna sit with Randy again. See you once we get to our stop.”

   His brother didn’t object to it and merely shrugged, watching Jeff get on while still talking to Randy.

   Just like on the ride to school, Randy talked most of the way back home. This time, instead of gossiping about all kinds of things involving school, he talked mostly about all the crazy shit that’s happened to him and his friends while out skating. From the time a gaggle of geese started chasing Troy around the park after trying to mess with them to the time someone even tried calling the police on them for “disturbing the peace.” Each story was more ridiculous than the last and Jeff almost was jealous of the fact he didn’t get a chance to see any of those things happen for himself. 

   “Trust me, when you go skating with us, you’re bound to see some crazy shit at least once.”

   “Knowing  _ my  _ luck, the crazy shit will be happening to  _ me  _ and you’ll all be laughing your asses off while I’m the one suffering.”

   Randy chuckled. “Probably, yeah.”

   “At least you’re honest.” Jeff muttered, glancing out the window. When a familiar street entered his field of vision, the bus halted to a stop. “Oh, we’re at our stop.”

   The two stood up, Randy playfully shoving him down the aisle as they began climbing out of their ride. “Hey, we’ve all been the one suffering at least once. You just gotta learn to get over it.” Skipping the last step of the bus stairs, he jumped onto the street and onto the sidewalk. “Like this one time, while skating in a place I didn’t know too well, I ended up falling face first into this lake and mud was in my mouth and nostrils and everywhere! It was fuckin’ nasty! When I got out, I had to dig worms and frogs out of my pockets for, like, a solid five minutes.”

   Jeff snickered and even snorted a bit imagining Randy go through all that. That landed him another punch to the shoulder.

   “Yeah yeah, laugh it up. It’s soooo fuckin’ hilarious.” He glanced back at the bus, waiting for Troy and Keith to join them. “Next time, it won’t be me. Maybe it’ll be you and maybe instead of lakes and frogs, you’ll be hanging out of a tree by the waistband of your jeans, just waiting for a squirrel to come and take your nuts.” 

   Lou stepped off the bus just in time to see his brother absolutely cracking up at whatever Randy was saying. It, of course, made him happy to see Jeff like this, but it was also very surreal to experience. What made things even stranger was the fact that never in a million years would he have guessed these would be the kind of people Jeff would attract. Not that Randy and his friends were  _ bad,  _ they were just so much louder and out there compared to his brother. He would’ve assumed he’d retract into his shell or shut down if someone tried talking to him the way Randy did. But he was wrong.

   Troy and Keith shoved past Lou to join Jeff and their friend, each one sharing a fist bump with Randy before telling him they were heading home.

   Randy was about to join them, but first looked back up to Jeff. “Better find that board of yours. We always go skating on Fridays.” He gave Jeff’s back a large pat, beginning to walk backwards with his small gang. “Better not flake on us, man.”

   And with that, the trio was on their way off, playfully shoving each other and laughing as they did so. 

   It took Jeff a moment to realize his brother had joined him on the sidewalks due to him staring at the back of their heads until they were just out of eyesight. He even jumped slightly at Lou lightly touching his shoulder to get his attention.

   Mildly concerned best described the look on Lou’s face.

   “What?”

   Lou shook his head, his lips twisting into a weary smile. “Oh, nothing. Let’s just get going. My feet are killing me. Probably gonna take a nap when we get home.”

   As they started walking, it was hard to ignore how bright eyed and bushy tailed Jeff seemed compared to Lou, especially comparing it to the previous mood he was in back at their house in the morning. In fact, it was  _ Lou  _ who looked the most exhausted out of the pair 

   “Jeff?”

   “Hm?”

   “You’re not... _ really _ going to hang out with those guys, are you?”

   He couldn’t for the life of him figure out if his brother was kidding or not, But Jeff chuckled nonetheless. “I mean, of course I am.”

   “Why ‘of course’? Is it that obvious?” 

   Jeff slowed his pace, making sure to lock eyes with his questioning brother.

   “Lou...don’t you get it? They asked  _ me  _ to hang out with  _ them.  _ I may be a complete disaster with people in general, but this might be my one chance to actually have, like, y’know...friends?”

   “I’m sure there’s other people-”

   “Still, I’m not about to just reject them. Aren’t you always talking about me making friends?”

   “I’m just saying that I’m sure there’s...better options.”

   Jeff huffed, finally tearing his eyes away from Lou. “What? Is it ‘cause they’re not like the people who always want to be  _ your  _ friends? Sorry I’m not exactly a prep magnet like you.”

   Lou sighed, tugging the straps of his backpack. “That’s not what I meant. You’re right through: I  _ am  _ always talking about that. I guess it’s just natural for me to worry about you and when I put that aside, yeah, I’m glad you found some friendly faces your first day here. If you want to hang out with them, I won’t stop you.”

   Jeff stayed silent at his response at first, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a smile, teeth firmly hidden behind his lips. “Thanks. I’ll be careful, I promise. I’m not a kid anymore. I can handle myself just fine.”

   “I know you can.”

   “Now how long is it gonna be until you cut the second mother crap?”

   “I can see Randy is already having an influence on you.” Lou said, clearly joking. “Can’t say I like it, but he’s your friend. Not mine.”

   “You know it.” Pride coated Jeff’s words and it was like nothing he’s ever heard come out of his own mouth.

   The whole thing had him feeling warm and giddy, like he really was a kid again, having a second chance at all the emotions he didn’t have a chance to experience when he was younger.

   It was his first day and he already had a friend.

   Scratch that... _ friends.  _

  
  


   Jeff usually dreaded having to join his family for dinner, but still fresh off that high of having not the absolute worst day ever, he didn’t find it as hard to walk down the stairs and sit at the dining room table.

   His brother and father were ready to eat once Jeff joined them, while his mother took each plate and filled it up with whatever she decided to cook for the night, which turned out to be steak, potatoes and green beans. It was simple, sure, but no one seemed to mind. His mother was a great cook and never made a dull meal. Once everyone had their food in front of them, his mother could barely wait to start up conversation. 

   “So,” She began, sounding like she’s been waiting forever for this moment. “How was the first day?”

   “Nothing really eventful happened on my end, but,” Lou eyed Jeff and gave a teasing grin. “I can’t say it’s the same for Jeff.”

   Though their father had his sights still glued to the food he was eating, their mother whipped her head around to look at Jeff.

   Jeff’s face flushed at the sudden attention and gave a tiny, nervous smile, his voice being just as tiny as he spoke. “Uh, yeah. I, um, may have made a few friends already and...they wanna hang out after school on Friday. To skate and stuff.”

   She seemed to be even more excited than Jeff himself about these plans. She even had to put down her fork as to better talk with her hands. “Oh honey that’s great! How did you meet them? What are their names? Where-?”

   Lou lightly nudged their mom, signaling her to slow down. Her own face flashed as a response and her mouth clamped shut.

   Picking at his steak, eyes every once in a while shifting over to his father, Jeff thought up what to say.

   “They go to the same bus stop as we do and their names are Randy, Keith and Troy. That’s all I really know about them. I mean, obviously they skate. But, they seem pretty cool, so...yeah.”

   That signature warm smile returned to their mother’s face as she finally began to cut her steak. “Well, they sound like very nice boys. Are they going to come pick you up or-?”

   He never was one to be embarrassed by his parents like other kids and honestly, he never understood it until now. As he stuttered with his words, he clinked his fork against the plate, trying in vain to stab a piece of slippery steak. 

   “Uh, I’m not sure yet. We haven’t worked out the details, but I’ll be fine. You won’t have to worry about taking me anywhere or picking me up or anything like that.”

   “But I’d like to meet them-”

   That’s when Lou chimed in. “Jesus mom, they just met and it’s not like he just got himself a girlfriend. Give us a little room to breathe, will ya?”

   As the three of them laughed, Jeff and Lou’s father stayed silent and although Jeff kept his eyes on the other members of his family, he couldn’t ignore the burning feeling of his father staring at him. He found it so difficult to talk to his father at all, but at this point, a part of him literally screamed for him to say something already. To speak his mind instead of holding this mass of tension over his head, leaving it all up to Jeff’s imagination to what he could be thinking.

   “Do you have any homework?” Their father finally asked.

   The laughter died down and Jeff cleared his throat, looking down at his plate.

   “Yeah.”

   “What was that?”

   He lifted his head up and focused his eyes just beyond his father’s face, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

   “I do have homework, yeah.”

   Their father huffed and stabbed his fork into a piece of steak. “After dinner, be sure to work on it then.”

   “Yeah yeah…”

   The head of the house muttered something under his breath and maybe Lou and their mom heard it, but Jeff chose to ignore it.

   Even after a good day, which Jeff rarely experienced, his dad always seemed to take him down a peg for it.

   When returning his eyes to his plate, the three resumed talking.

   Their dad didn’t ask if Lou had any homework too.

   He asked if he was going to sign up for any of the sports teams.

   Jeff wasn’t paying attention, but he knew he was based on the proud grin on their father’s face.


	5. Chapter 5

   On his second day at this new school, you can imagine Jeff’s surprise when he realized Randy, along with Keith and sometimes Troy, were in a few of the classes he didn’t have the previous day.

   Upon entering his English class, Jeff didn’t know what to do other than begin to awkwardly hover towards the teacher’s desk to find out where he could sit and learn how things worked around there. Once he hovered close enough, the teacher looked up from his papers and sat up straight, waiting for Jeff to speak up first.

   After awkwardly clearing his throat, Jeff dared to make direct eye contact with him.

   “Uh, hi.” He began. “I’m, uh, Jeffrey Woods. I’m new here and yesterday was my first day.”

   “Right, yes.” He quickly replied, shuffling through his papers. “I  _ did _ notice a new name on roll. But in any case, I’m Mr. Leon. It’s nice to meet you Jeffrey. Do you go by anything else?”

   “Yeah, just Jeff.”

   “Just Jeff…” The teacher repeated quietly as he quickly wrote down something. “Well, it’s a good thing you joined us this day, because today we’re starting a new unit, so it shouldn’t be too hard for you to follow along.”

   At this point, more students were beginning to file into the room and Jeff felt his anxiety spike as it always does in a completely new environment and it must’ve been obvious by the look on his face.

   “It’ll be an easy day today too. Just a basic overview of what we’ll be doing and such.” It must’ve been the teacher’s way to try to not so subtly calm Jeff’s nerves. “Do you enjoy reading?”

   He began rubbing his arm through his hoodie sleeve. “Um, I guess so, yeah. I think-”

   “Yo! It’s Jeffy!” A voice suddenly called as more people entered the classroom.

   For some reason, it sent shivers crawling down his back and almost hesitant in turning around to see who it was. But once he did manage to turn around, he felt those chills calm down when he saw it was Keith.

   He could hear Mr. Leon’s tone grow dreary at the sight of Keith. “Ah, I see that you two already know each other.”

   “Hell yeah we do!” He threw an arm over Jeff’s shoulder before he could even have a chance to return the greeting. “Me, Randy and Troy are showin’ him the ropes and shit.”

   “Language.” He replied, simply and sternly.

   “It’s English, Mr. L.” He snickered in response. “You always forgot it, which is funny ‘cause you teach it!” 

   Keith clearly thought they were in a close enough relationship where he could freely swear and talk to him as if they were friends, but guessing on the quick eyeroll of the teacher, that wasn’t the case.

   You could tell a lot about a person by their reputation and just by looking at both the teacher and a few of his fellow classmates, it wasn’t a very good one. Granted, some of Jeff’s old teachers didn’t like him, but that was mostly due to how he almost never participated and they saw that as a fatal flaw, which Jeff never understood. Why put him on the same level as those who purposely go out of their way to make everyone else’s learning experiences a living hell? He tuned back in right when he realized both the teacher and Keith were looking expectantly at Jeff.

   “What?” He said dumbly.

   “Would you be alright with being placed next to Keith in class?” Mr. Leon asked for a second time.

   “Of course he would!” Keith wasted no time in interjecting. “We’re all best bros!”

   “Well, I’d like to hear the answer come from Jeff himself.”

   It wasn’t long until the anxiety began building up once more within Jeff and the sound of the loud bell ringing through the hallways only helped to deepen it. The chills returned and his hands were growing clammy with each passing second.

   “Uh...yeah, I’m fine with that.”

   Without any coaxing from the teacher, Keith motioned for Jeff to follow him to two free seats by the window on the far right side of the room.

   “Dude, it’s sick that you’re in this class too.” Keith said, beginning to sit down and pull out a notebook from his backpack. “This has got to be one of the most boring classes here, hands down.”

   “Not much of a reader?” Jeff cringed at how shaky and hoarse his voice sounded from the leftover nerves that refused to leave. He prayed that Keith wouldn’t notice.

   “Nah, not at all.” He didn’t seem to. “Hell, science can be better sometimes. It’s much more hands on and I can actually do stuff.”

   “Like watch stuff explode?”

   He wasn’t at all surprised to see a wide smile manifest onto Keith’s face.

   During lunch on his first day, he happened to hear a lot about what a pyromaniac Keith was, brimming to the top with his love for all things fiery and flashy. Independence day was probably one of the days he most looked forward to, what with all the different kinds of fireworks and sparklers on sale all around town. He blamed it all on his dad letting him play with fire when they would go camping, setting marshmallows aflame just to watch them slowly burn and melt into the embers below. 

   Not to say that either Randy or Troy were scared when it came to fire, but Keith certainly was the first to jump at the opportunity. 

   “You know it!” Keith finally said confidently. “You into that kind of stuff?”

   It would’ve been so easy just to lie and say that he was. How hard could it be to fake excitement for a couple of stray sparks?

   “Not really, to be honest.” Jeff chuckled. “I can’t really pick out a favorite subject, but I tolerate English the most.”

   “Oh yeah?” Keith said, returning the laugh. “What? Do you like, write poetry under trees and jerk off while reading Shakespeare?”

   “No, but I do sometimes write my dreams down. Like, the really weird ones.”

   Keith laughed once more, narrowing his eyes Jeff’s way. “Why?”

   “Dunno.” Jeff started to take out a notebook and pencil as well as he shrugged. “Guess it’s just something to talk about.”

   The real reason really because it was a leftover habit back when he went to therapy. Jeff often had very bizarre dreams growing up, but always seemed to forget them in a matter of minutes. That’s when his therapist suggested he write them down as soon as he would wake up.The therapist suggested that it could be a way for him to understand his emotions better. Jeff was by no means an expert on the stuff, but he could never tell if it helped or not. He only ever shared the dreams with his therapist, not even with his own brother.

   Keith’s narrowed eyes shifted around as he leaned in closer. “Have any crazy sex dreams?”

   Jeff dropped his supplies onto his table, coughing into the nook of his elbow and when he looked up, his face was bright red. “W-What?” He managed to sputter out quietly.

   “Y’know, ever got to bang one of your favorite celebrities using your dream dick?” Though his voice was low, he wasn’t making much of an effort to stay quiet. “I have those kinds of dreams allllll the time, but not just with famous people.” He then quickly motioned to a girl sitting across the room. “Like Veronica over there. She’s a cheerleader and absolutely crazy for me.” He even made the swirling finger gesture next to his temple. “But it’s suppose to be, like, a secret or whatever, so we gotta act like we don’t know each other.”

   Just as she happened to glance in their direction, Keith offered a short wave accompanied by a wide smile. She appeared to roll her eyes before looking back forward.

   “It’s so hard though. Like, she’s got it all, y’know? Pretty eyes, cute smile...huge rack.”

   Jeff only grew more embarrassed and tense with each passing second and before he could urge Keith to quiet down as class was seemingly about to start, he continued.

   “Hell, she probably has the best rack in our year. Definitely not in the whole school though. I obviously can’t put her up against some of the senior girls.”

   At the front of the classroom, the teacher cleared his throat and when they looked forward, it was clearly directed towards Keith, who didn’t seem too shaken up by the attention, despite it being far from positive. 

   “Oh, sorry Mr. L.” Keith casually began reassuring. “Jeffy was just telling me who he thought the hottest girl in class was and since it was starting to become a debate, maybe you should give us some extra points for it.”

   There were a few clumps of laughing students in the classroom, but the teacher’s expression didn’t change, only shifting his eyes to look in Jeff’s direction. The boy’s face and ears were still bright red and words were getting caught in his throat to the point where it actually felt somewhat hard to breathe. He knew he didn’t say anything like that in the first place, but the feeling of so many eyes staring at him were too much to bear.

   “I, uh-” He started to stammer quietly. “I didn’t say anything like that.” He ended the statement with an awkward laugh, hoping it would help to relax him. It didn’t.

   “Keith roping kids into mindless talk and trouble? What a shocker.” Mr. Leon said tiredly, earning his own fair share of laughs from a few of the students. “Don’t worry Jeff. You’re not the first new kid he’s tried to drag down with him.”

   After a few more laughs, class finally began.

   Mr. Leon was right when he said it wouldn’t be that difficult of a first day. It mostly consisted of copying down whatever notes he wrote up on the board and listening to him give a brief summary of what they would be reading. However, at some point, Jeff found it increasingly hard to pay attention to his words, both spoken and written. 

   Whenever he would happen to glance Keith’s way, it was impossible to ignore the intense glare that would be shot his way every so often. Though he flinched and stopped his hand from writing when this happened, he didn’t dare to directly ask if something was wrong. As he tried to write some more, he noticed how shaky the words were starting to get and that’s when he noticed some papers being passed down to them. Keith snatched both of them and before Jeff could ask for his, Keith halfheartedly slid it his way a little too hard. Jeff awkwardly bent down to pick the paper up from the floor and returned to his seat, wondering if now was the time to ask if he was okay.

   When class was nearing the end, all the students started to pack up.

   “Hey, you okay man?” Jeff timidly asked, swinging his backpack onto his shoulder as he watched Keith do the same.

   “Why didn’t you play along, dude?” He didn’t sound angry at all, just mildly annoyed if anything. “Mr. L is cool with me. It’s not like you would’ve gotten into trouble.”

   He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “Oh, sorry. I just didn’t know what to say. Plus I’m...not really like that, to be honest.”

   “Like what?”

   It caught Jeff off guard and had him second guessing himself. What exactly wasn’t he like? He didn’t want to degrade Keith by saying he wasn’t like him and if he were, it would be considered a bad thing.

   “I’m not...well...I dunno, interested in dating or even getting with a girl or anything like that.” He could already feel Keith’s stare grow judgmental. “It’s just not something I wanna focus on at the moment.”

   “What? Are you like, gay or something?” He then blurted out, maybe a bit too loudly. Thankfully, not a lot of kids looked their way and the ones that did didn’t look for too long before returning to their own conversations. 

   “No!” He quickly countered. He immediately lowered his voice as to not draw more attention to himself. “No, that’s not- I’m just not interested in a relationship in general. Getting a girl to like me isn’t exactly very high on my list of priorities.”

   He saw Keith’s face scrunch up a moment before the bell loudly rang through the entire school building. As kids began to file out of the room and into the hallways, Jeff glanced to Keith one last time.

   “Listen, I’m gonna get going now, but I’ll see you at lunch.”

   Keith merely responded by mumbling something under his breath and throwing some waves of his hand, signaling for Jeff to go without him. Jeff was more than happy to oblige and left the room in a rush.

   But just as he walked past the doors, a voice caught his attention.

   “Hey, you’re Jeff, right?”

   Whipping his head around, he saw that girl Keith was talking about, Veronica, book close to her chest and looking right into Jeff’s eyes. It was so shocking to him to see someone actively approach him first like this, it made him slightly jump upon turning around. She really was rather pretty, what with her deep brown eyes and long black hair pulled into a ponytail. 

   “Yeah?” It was almost as if he didn’t know the answer himself.

   She blinked and laughed, gesturing to the classroom they had just left. “I’m in your English class.”

   “Yeah, I saw.”

   “Right.” She shook her head. “Anyways, sorry you had to sit next to Keith. Talk about bad luck.”

   “Oh, well, I actually agreed to it so…” He shrugged, not exactly sure what to say. “I actually have been hanging out with him and his friends Troy and Randy my first day. They’re at my bus stop and offered to show me around.”

   She cringed at the mention of the rest of Jeff’s new buddies. “Really?”

   Jeff meekly nodded. 

   As if she couldn’t look even more beside herself, she bit her lip and glanced down at her feet, trying to figure out how to respond. Her smile soon returned, only it was most definitely as happy as it once was.

   “Well, if you ever get sick of them, which trust me, you will, you can find me in the courtyard during lunch. I’m not that hard to find.”

   And just like that, the odd interaction ended with Veronica waving goodbye to Jeff and quickly merging into the oncoming steady traffic of students walking to their next class. Before he could properly process what just happened, he too was swept up into the stream of kids and decided it would be best to just find his next class while he had the time.

   It was becoming increasingly obvious that Randy and his friends had a reputation known around the school by teachers as well as fellow students. Even though he barely knew them, he also barely knew the rest of the school. Maybe they were too judgmental of the trio and were treating them unfairly. Sure, they didn’t seem like straight A students or little angels who never got sent down to the office, but what kid is perfect? He certainly was far from it himself. Besides, looking past the odd interaction he just had with Keith, they didn’t seem all that bad. Randy did seem pushy at times, Keith was beyond unpredictable and he didn’t even know that much about Troy, other than he’s always laughing to the other’s jokes all the time. Despite all that being said, those traits didn’t automatically make them bad kids.

   Still, he took Veronica’s offer to heart. She seemed genuine enough and hey, he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to make a few new friends.

   He thought back to that glare Keith had on his face, to which Jeff half chuckled and half scoffed to himself.

   He only hoped Keith wouldn’t give him shit for supposedly “moving in” on his girl.

   After all, he meant it when he said he wasn’t interested in being in a relationship.

   But he may have not answered all that truthfully when it came to the whole not being gay thing, but how was that any of Keith’s buisness?   

   What mattered was that he had no interest in getting in between anything.

   The last thing he wanted was to feel like he was stuck in the middle of some dumb high school movie filled with  cliché s no teenager ever has to deal with.

   Fortunately, nothing like that was going to happen to him.

   It was going to be much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey im sorry it took a while for me to update this but ive been p busy lately since im now a senior in high school and all that shit but i havent forgotten any of my fics so i hope to be updating them more frequently   
> thank u all for being patient


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